India’s rising T20I star Tilak Varma has undergone emergency surgery in Rajkot on Wednesday and will likely miss the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Indian media reports have stated.
The 23-year-old batter experienced acute testicular pain on Wednesday morning in Rajkot, where he was part of the Hyderabad team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament. Medical staff rushed him to Gokul Hospital, where scans diagnosed him with testicular torsion, a condition causing sudden, intense pain.
“Tilak Varma reported acute testicular pain in Rajkot where he is part of the Hyderabad team for the Vijay Hazare tournament. He was taken to Gokul Hospital and on scan was diagnosed with Testicular Torsion (sudden, intense pain) and was advised immediate surgery,” a BCCI official told an Indian media outlet.
The BCCI Centre of Excellence medical team in Bengaluru consulted on the case and agreed with the diagnosis. Doctors successfully performed the surgery on Wednesday evening.
“We got an opinion from our specialists who agreed with the same. Tilak underwent successful surgery and is doing well now. We will update you as soon as we have more information on his recovery and expected time-frame for his return to play post discussion with the medical panel,” the BCCI official added.
Varma is believed to be recovering well and could receive discharge as early as Friday. However, his participation in the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7, remains uncertain.
A top sports medicine specialist, speaking to Indian media on condition of anonymity, explained that athletes typically need a maximum of one month to recover from this type of emergency surgery. “The recovery duration also depends on how extensive the tissue damage was. Only pain is a factor in these emergency scenarios as the operation is done on a highly innervated structure, where it twists on itself and cuts blood supply,” the specialist said.
Varma has established himself as a crucial player in India’s T20I setup, scoring 1,183 runs in 37 innings at an average of 49.29 and a strike rate of 144.09. He has scored two centuries and six half-centuries in the format.
The BCCI has not yet named a replacement for Varma in the five-match series against New Zealand, which begins on January 21 in Nagpur.